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Author: Judy E Martin
Hello, and thanks for stopping by. I am Judy, in my (very) early fifties and decided that life definitely gets more interesting as it goes on!
I am a wife and a mum and have just finished University as a Registered Nurse, after having worked as an Associate Practitioner in the NHS. I am also a poet and the author of my debut book, 'Rhymes of the Times.' I love to laugh, and I love rhyming words too, so I joined the two together, and my book was born. I am currently working on another book in the series also.
I am a prolific blogger and enjoy writing funny stories, anecdotes, and anything really that takes my fancy.
Yesterday was such a beautiful day. I went to a friend’s wedding with my sister.It was warm and sunny and we decided to get a few photos out in her garden before we went. Today after a bit of rain, it did clear up a bit, but as you can see from my garden photos, the sunflower is dead now. We are still getting visits from Tubs and his Mrs (they are perched on top of the fence) for now, but summer is fading away.
Last days of summer
final gasp of heat and warmth…
hard to say goodbye.
I just happened to come across a National Calendar which informed me that today is ‘National Encouragement Day.’ What a great idea this is. I appreciate Mother’s and Father’s, Grandparents, Valentine’s, and all the other ‘Days’ when we can show our loved ones how much they mean to us (normally at an exorbitant price for the privilege), but this one is much better.
We all love to focus on the negative things in life, moaning when things go wrong, or slagging someone off when they have upset or offended us (maybe without them even realising). so to show our support to each other is a wonderful, positive thing that we can all do without spending a single penny.
As I have mentioned before, this blogging community that we all belong to, is one of the most supportive, and encouraging group of people who I have ever met (even if it is virtual)!
We all take on challenges of one kind or another during our lives, and we all have dreams and goals that we aspire to. We can do so much more than we realise, it is just a case of having the courage to get up and go for it!
Social media seems to be so popular now, that if you are not using it then you are seriously missing out on a whole new audience.
For today’s Writing 101 task, we are taking our inspiration from quotes that have been posted on Twitter.There were five inspirational quotes, each on a different topic that we could choose from. The quote above regarding education is the one that resonated most with me.
I love to learn new things, whether it be something work related, like administering intravenous drugs, or showing off a dress or skirt that I had made from scratch (actually I am not at this stage yet, even though I have made a few items of clothing)! Life is full or new and interesting things for us to try.
For me, learning fulfils my thirst for knowledge, but it is one that will never be fully quenched as I find something else that I need to learn about! This is why this quote is so apt, no matter how much I have studied and think I know,in the grand scheme of things, I am still pretty ignorant!
I am going to be embarking on a new job soon, which will involve yet more learning, plus I am going to undertake a huge project soon which is going to be my biggest challenge yet. All of this is going to involve intense learning, There will no doubt be tears, frustration, a good dose of swearing, and stomping about, but I can’t wait to get started!
Another crazy, busy and hectic week has gone by. I have to admit to lagging behind quite a bit at the moment as regards to reading all the posts I wanted, so I have a skinny Free-for-all today, but that does not make it any the less important. The posts I have chosen are all inspirational ones this week in one way or another.
Please do visit these blogs and see what else they have for you, you will not be disappointed!
Waffle Me This The reason this post is inspirational to me is because Rich does not think that he is very good at poetry, yet this one is brilliant! Not only that, he has written loads more excellent poems this week.
Daily Echo. This is so inspirational as Sue’s son Nick has been on his bike again and you want to see how far he went this time! Sue must be beyond proud, and Nick is a fine (if not crazy) example to us all! Well done to him.
La vie est trop courte pur boire mauvais vin TJ is pretty nifty with a camera and takes the most beautiful photos. I wanted to share this post with you so you can enjoy them as well.
Decoding Happiness Himali is a very talented young woman, This post is straight from her heart, and so very touching.
So, it is short but very sweet this week. Hope you all enjoyed these and were as inspired by them as I was!
Happy Friday!
I really hope you find your sister Jason 🙂
Given four photos to choose from today for Writing 101, I was to choose one photo that I could write a story, a poem or a post about. I am not ready yet to try and tackle a story, so I will write a post about my (limited) experience with maps!
As many of you know, I had joined the Army just after my 18th birthday and was a naive and shy young woman. I was filled with dread when one of the first things we did was to be rounded up, piled into the back of a 4 tonner and dumped in the middle of nowhere with a map and a compass!
We were then given a few hours to make our way to a designated spot marked out on our maps. Great! I didn’t have a bloody clue. Luckily, though, this was a group exercise and there some people actually knew how to map read, so the rest of us dunces that couldn’t, made it safely to our destination.
A few months later, we had a day when we had various activities to participate in (compulsory of course). One of these was weapons training, (I was surprisingly good at hitting the target), and one of these was orienteering. I was dreading it as this time we were sent off one by one with time delays and various checkpoints to get to. We had to clip a card from each of the checkpoints, which of course, had different markings.
I headed off in the right direction when it was my go, but I kind of dawdled a bit as I thought I might be able to wait for the next person and team up with them (providing of course that they could read a map)! My gamble paid off, and again, I reached my destination in good time!
I did actually learn how to read a map eventually but thank God for Sat Nav, which I think is going to be my best friend when I start my new job!
Today for writing 101, our prompt was to choose one word from a selection of six prompt words and write about the one that ‘spoke’ to us the most. I chose ‘home’ as this word has the most meaning for me in so many ways…
When I was six years old my parents divorced and I moved from one end of the country to the other. Then, due to my Mum’s job we moved around some more until finally coming to the county where I have lived for most of the time since.
When I married my first husband, I moved around yet again as he changed jobs, and we always lived with other people. I used to spend at least 18 hours a day in one room due to his long hours, and other issues (I will write about them one day)! This went on for about 8 years until our eventual divorce. Although for the last 2 years I did at least see people as I worked with him for 18 hours per day!
My second marriage, sadly didn’t last long but for the first time we had our own place, albeit only for 6 months before I ended up moving back in with my parents and stayed there throughout my pregnancy, and for the first 10 weeks of Miss Hap’s life.
Then I got this house, which is finally my home. Myself and my baby daughter (at the time) moved in with no carpets, very little furniture (most of it donated to us), mismatched curtains and a small tv. It didn’t matter though as it was home. Our home. Over the 12 years I have been here, I have added carpets, matching curtains and a nice settee as well as some new furniture. More importantly I have planted the garden with the beautiful, fragrant roses that I love so much,
For once in my entire life, I was able to put down some roots, and settle down. I could decorate how I wanted and put up whichever pictures I liked. We have made so many memories here, which it why it is our home.
Welcome to Wednesday, where I get to play with another weird, wonderful or wacky word. Today, I have a wonderful word to share with you. In fact, I was going to use this word in my last post, but then decided that it was worth saving, and being in the spotlight, having a post all to itself! I always love a rhyme so that makes this word even more fun for me.
Argy-bargy. This word is anything from a bit of banter to a bicker and finally an out and out brawl! It is a squabble or a scrap, a tangle and a tussle, or even a fracas leading to fisticuffs!
Some to-ing and fro-ing of words between rivals, a difference of opinion, pushing and shoving, or even a right royal punch-up! This is a family party when we all get together and wind each other up, especially if we start playing games!
For today’s Writing 101 prompt, we are to write a list. I decided that mine would be about things that I like:
Having long and beautifully shaped nails. Unfortunately, as you can see, mine are neither! This is about as long as I dare let them get for work. (It was weird looking at my hands as they are so bloody ugly, which I had never realised before)!
The beautiful scent of roses and sweet peas. These can just lift the spirits of anyone who is feeling down. Not only with their beautiful smell, but they look so pretty too.
1950s style fashions: I love the full-skirted dresses that were popular in this era, the makeup, the shoes, and the hair (that’s basically everything then)! If only I had an hour-glass figure to suit the style then all would be well in my little world!
A witty and dry put-down or come back I can never think of a reply quick enough when anyone says something cutting to me, so I admire those that are a master of clever quips!
A clean & tidy bay full of patients. I love it when all of my patients are washed and dressed, with their hair brushed. Looking and feeling comfortable and relaxed.(Please note I used an old picture of a hospital ward in the 1970s as it looked better in those days)!!!
Being told I look young for my age. It used to be a real pain when I was younger being constantly asked for ID, but now it is a bonus being taken for a few years younger (As I was in this pic)!
Playing games with family, we are all so competitive, and it can get a bit heated. the banter is particularly funny between Mr Grump and my brother-in-law (Mr Musician)!
Daybreak in the summer when it is around 4am The beautiful sunrise is a sight to behold.
Having a good cry over a film/song/book! I am a big softie and cry at anything sad (shhh, so does Mr Grump)!
Learning something new. I always like to try to stretch myself, and love trying new things. Actually just yesterday as well as starting the Writing 101 course, I also started one on Open University for 6 weeks all about identifying a dead body! (We get our own case to solve and everything, using the forensics that we are going to be learning).
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